The government has criticized China's reaction to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's recent warning against any unilateral moves by Beijing to weaken Japan's control of the disputed Senkaku Islands.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Sunday accused Clinton of meddling in the affair.
Clinton's remarks "show the United States' strong posture toward the Japan-U.S. security alliance. The Japanese government values and welcomes her comments," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday, adding that the Senkakus are "an inherent territory of Japan."
Clinton said in a joint news conference after meeting with Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington on Friday that the U.S. opposes any unilateral action to weaken Japan's control over the islets, sending a clear warning to China. She also touched on U.S. treaty obligations to defend Japan.